DENVER — If you have driven on a Colorado road in recent years, you've probably read the work of Sam Cole, communications manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
“I would say just about anyone who has driven in Colorado has seen one of these signs,” Cole said.
Cole, who is based at CDOT's headquarters in Denver, said it's part of his job to help reduce traffic fatalities. As part of the effort, he has come up with some interesting one-liners for the digital message signs.
“We wanted to capture the public’s attention with traffic safety, so we needed to do something different,” Cole said.
Cole added that the idea is to get a driver's attention so they can bring awareness to driving safely.
“The messages will focus on seat belts. They will focus on distracted driving. They will focus on work zone safety,” Cole said.
One of those messages about distracted driving went viral and helped spread the message about safety.
“One of the originals we ran was, 'Get your head out of your apps,'" Cole said. "That was a message focused on distracted driving that one went viral and got a lot of people talking."
Other creative slogans that have made it on the signs include:
- "Buckle up buttercup."
- "Hey bobblehead put down the phone."
- "Crashes are no accident."
Sometimes Cole comes up with the one-liners on his own, other times he borrows from other CDOT employees or even the public.
“The public came up with, 'Don’t drive intexticated,'" said Cole.
Cole said ultimately, he hopes a little humor mixed with information will help drivers get the message about safety.
If you have an idea, head over to the 9NEWS Facebook Page, share it, and it could end up on a CDOT digital message board.
